Oscar Bruno Bach
Born in Germany in 1884 and emigrated to the United States in 1913, Oscar Bruno Bach was a metallurgist and designer who, after many years of research, developed his own process enabling ferrous metals to sustain color and resist corrosion when used on building exteriors.
Before the early 20th century, the use of mixed metals had been restricted to small works such as jewelry. Extraordinary skill and new techniques were required to produce works of a large scale. The challenges of architectural metal work include corrosion due to dampness, air pollution and electrolytic action between dissimilar metals. Bach used a transparent insulating coating where different metals joined to prevent electrolysis. He also developed methods for adhering polychrome enamels to large repousse surfaces through the use of multiple firings and eliminated warping by coating both sides of the piece. Bach’s work required skilled craftsmanship and in-depth technical knowledge.
Working from his Manhattan studios, Bach developed an alloy called duralumin comprised of aluminum, copper and manganese with similar properties of stainless steel which he used for his lobby designs for the Empire State Building. Bach used a workable, high tensile strength, light-weight and corrosion resistant chrome nickel steel, with a highly polished surface at the Chrysler Building (1928 to 1930).
In spite of the stock market crash of 1929 and ensuing depression, Bach prospered. He produced the iron and bronze pulpit and lectern, chapel doors and sanctuary lamps for the Upper West Side Riverside Church (1927-30). His commission in 1931 for the Paterno residence in New York City resulted in the “Florentine Door” a repousse bronze, hand-engraved and inlaid with gold and silver is considered a masterpiece.
Bach produced many objects for the middle market as well as custom work for the elite, in addition to prestigious national architectural commissions. Similar to the Tiffany Studios, Bach designed and fabricated metal lamps often with mica shades. His mixed-metal bronze, iron and copper pedestals, compotes, decorative plates and center bowls were mass-produced, often with strong Art Deco designs, incorporating repousse, patination and inlay. Bach was called the “foremost metal craftsman in the country” in Time Magazine’s April 17, 1939 edition. Bach died in New York in 1957. His genius survives in grand architecture throughout the country and in utilitarian objects of remarkable beauty. The Metropolitan Museum of Art purchased Bach’s bronze, copper and iron bowl on stand through the William Cullen Bryant Fellows Gifts in 1992.
This reference note is courtesy of its author, Maureen Heenan, ISA.